


What Marian Saw

by Eareniel



Category: Robin Hood (BBC 2006)
Genre: M/M, PWP, Shameless Smut, Voyeurism, enemies-with-benefits, established "relationship" (sort of)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 18:57:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/982442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eareniel/pseuds/Eareniel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During one of her missions to gather information in the Nottingham Castle Marian accidentally sees far more than she ever expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Marian Saw

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to take a short break from the wholesome world of the Hobbit, so I sat down for an evening and wrote some Robin Hood smut instead. Since these two have so few fics written about them (which is a shame, because they have amazing chemistry), I thought I might give it a go. This is my first PWP of any kind, so I will appreciate any and all the feedback you can give me. Enjoy! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I make no money from this and none of these characters belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own nefarious purposes.

* * *

Lady Marian was no stranger to spying.

She had always been curious, even as a child, which had led her to discover many things that would have otherwise stayed hidden from her. Her father’s waning political influence, Sheriff’s money issues and Gisborne’s love affairs – she knew all about those. 

Her occasional stays in the Nottingham castle provided her with plenty of opportunities to satiate her curiosity. Some of her discoveries had proved extremely useful – allowing Robin and his men to thwart Sheriff’s nefarious plans before they could take hold, but occasionally she stumbled at things that made her wish she had never spied in the first place. Tonight would prove to be one of those times, but she didn’t know that yet.

Marian had discovered this place entirely by accident – she had been exploring the castle one day when she had heard Gisborne’s voice just around the corner and needed to hide somewhere so that she wouldn’t have to talk to him. Even after so many months of knowing him she still found him creepy and his advances highly unwelcome. Their distasteful engagement notwithstanding, she wasn’t willing to spend more time with him than was absolutely necessary.

And so, as she had been trying to escape his attention, she had stumbled upon a random broom closet that she had never seen before. The place was barely large enough for one to sit down, and conspicuously lacking any actual brooms, but had a most curious hole in the wall somewhere around waist-height, which provided the only source of light in the small dark space. When she had crouched down, careful not to stain her dress, she had discovered that it was a long narrow horizontal crack between the stones in the wall that provided a pretty good view of Gisborne’s chamber, namely the desk by the window, the huge four-poster bed and part of a wardrobe.

There was no way the hole in the wall was there by accident. Since Gisborne seemed ignorant of its existence, Marian had wisely surmised that it would be a shame not to use the opportunity when it had presented itself so nicely. Ever since then she had spent more than one evening kneeling with her eyes pressed to the peephole, observing Gisborne in his natural habitat. 

Most of the time he didn’t do anything interesting – he read and wrote letters, sharpened his weapons and growled at servants - but then there were the occasional times when he had company and boy, were those ever interesting. Marian always had to pray ten times Our Father and Hail Mary after those nights, but her curious nature won over the chastity she had been brought up with every time and so she always stayed, watching Gisborne do things that made her blush to the roots of her hair.

This night was proving to be one of those less interesting ones so far and Marian was starting to get bored. She had been watching Gisborne for almost half an hour already and all he had done in that time was take off his cloak and read some letters. She had watched him enough times before that she knew that at this time in the evening he either called for a maid to keep him company or sat in his chair and brooded, probably coming up with some dastardly plan to use against the outlaws. 

Since the desk stood at the opposite side of the room, she had no way to see what those letters contained. She was almost willing to give up for the night and go back to her room when a slight movement at the window caught her attention. 

It could have been a bird, or...but surely Robin wouldn’t dare. Not when Gisborne was wide awake. Marian knew that Robin sometimes snuck into the Sheriff’s chambers in the middle of the night and threatened him when he needed to secure the Sheriff’s cooperation on important matters, but sneaking up on a sleeping man was a completely different situation than trying to surprise someone who was fully awake. 

The shadow moved again, slipping through the window. Gisborne sat with his back to the window and didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. Marian watched as Robin tiptoed silently across the room, holding a dagger in his hand. When the tip of the blade touched Gisborne’s neck, the sitting man didn’t even flinch. He just kept perusing his letter calmly, as if there wasn’t a wanted criminal standing less than two feet away from him. Marian thought it was strange that he didn’t look very surprised. 

“Locksley.” Gisborne greeted his attacker without looking up from his papers. “Come to threaten me?”

“Well, if I must.” Robin’s tone was teasing. He leaned over Gisborne’s shoulder to have a look at the paper in Gisborne’s hand. “But you know that I prefer to talk politics with the Sheriff. He’s much more impressed by my death threats than you are.” 

“I would be very impressed with your threats, if you ever meant them.” Gisborne slowly laid down his letters. “Why are you here, Locksley?” 

“I came to spy on you, maybe steal a few state secrets while I’m at it. But I wouldn’t say no to a good duel.” Robin slowly ran the tip of the dagger up and down Gisborne’s neck before he withdrew it entirely, sheathing it. “What do you say?”

Gisborne stood up slowly, keeping his back to Robin.

“What if I’m not in the mood for duelling?”

Robin started to turn away.

“Then I’ll just find some _skilled_ swordsman or maybe a squire...”

With a snarl Gisborne whirled around and seized Robin’s arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Robin pulled an innocent face.

“Well, I was thinking about the stables....”

Gisborne turned him around forcefully and gripped the front of his shirt in both hands, shaking the man in frustration.

“Damn it, Locksley, it’s been a month!”

Robin’s teasing grin slid off. 

“I know. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get inside this castle?” 

“Then why don’t you even come to my manor in Locksley? You’d have much easier access there.” Marian couldn’t see Gisborne’s face when he said that, but he sounded almost...coaxing?

“Maybe because the house used to be mine and I’m still a little bitter about it?” Robin raised an eyebrow, giving Gisborne a pointed look.

“Well, I can hardly come running after you into the forest. You are quite hard to find,” Gisborne said.

“I take pride in being hard to find.” The teasing smile was back.

“And even if I managed to find you, you are always surrounded by your minions.” Gisborne took a few steps forward, crowding Robin against the bed post. 

Marian couldn’t understand why Robin let himself be drawn into this pointless conversation. After all, he had come to gather information, not to banter. He also didn’t seem perturbed by the fact that Gisborne was effectively holding him trapped. 

“What would your little friends say if they saw you with me?” Gisborne leaned closer to murmur. “Would they kill us both?” 

Their faces were now mere inches apart. Robin was still grinning. 

“Probably, after they got over the shock. Much would be jealous as hell, though.”

“Your servant?” There was a note of resentment in Gisborne’s voice.

“He’s _very_ loyal.” The innuendo was clear in his voice.

Gisborne lunged forward, taking Robin’s mouth in a hungry kiss. 

Marian almost fell back in surprise and had to brace her hand against the wall to keep her balance. Gisborne...had kissed...Robin. She must have seen wrong. However, when she straightened back up and peeked into the hole, they were still kissing and Robin seemed to be an enthusiastic participant. 

Something was wrong with the world. Marian was now convinced that she shouldn’t have drunk that French wine at the dinner. It was making her see strange things. However, no matter how many times she blinked, the scene in the room remained the same. 

Gisborne and Robin were still kissing passionately, bodies pressed together. While Gisborne’s hands roamed over Robin’s lower back and posterior, Robin was trying to undo the clasps on Gisborne’s jacket. After several unsuccessful attempts he drew back from the kiss, frowning at the fastenings.

“Why are your clothes so complicated?”

Gisborne looked annoyed at the interruption. 

“They are not complicated, you are simply inept. One would think you’d have enough practice opening them by now.”

He batted Robin’s hands away and started to undo the clasps himself with the ease of habit. Robin used the moment to divest himself of his vest and shirt. 

Marian leaned closer to the peephole, staring. She had seen them both shirtless before, on separate occasions, and had thought them both to be fairly good-looking men (even Gisborne, though she hated to admit it) but this was somehow different. There was a new intensity to them when they looked at each other that she hadn’t seen before. Even when she had watched Gisborne lie with the kitchen maids, he had never looked like this – focused, impatient, his eyes full of anger and lust and just a little bit of desperation.

She wouldn’t be so surprised at Gisborne’s lack of restraint if she didn’t see it mirrored in Robin’s eyes. Robin, who was always full of good humour and a cavalier to the bone, treating her with polite adoration, was now tearing at Gisborne’s clothes like a starving man at a feast. The contrast with his normal manner was striking and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was only something that Gisborne awoke in him, or if it was simply a side of his personality she’d never seen before.

They were both shirtless now, running hands over each other with a lack of shyness that spoke of familiarity. Have they done this before, or were they simply both skilled at this? Marian couldn’t help but wonder, the thought making her blush. 

Robin tore his mouth away, shooting a glance at the door. Gisborne used the opportunity to attack his neck, drawing a distracted moan from the archer. 

“Did you lock the door?” Robin finally managed to ask.

“Should I have?” Gisborne raised his head to look at Robin, the challenge clear in his eyes. Two heartbeats passed before Robin gave his answer.

“No, the danger makes this all the more interesting, don’t you think?” There was a definite smirk on his face before he dove back into the kiss, using Gisborne’s distraction to manoeuvre him onto the bed.

Gisborne fell onto the bed still dressed in his leather trousers, sprawling against the sheets. Robin was on him in an instant, straddling his hips and pinning him back to the bed with a hand when he tried to rise up. Gisborne gave the outlaw a half-hearted glare, but didn’t try to fight back again. Robin had his back to her, so Marian couldn’t see his face, but the expression on Gisborne’s face was unmistakeable when Robin moved his hips, rocking in a slow, deliberate movement. 

“You’re a bloody tease, Locksley,” Gisborne ground out, reaching out with his hands to grab the other man’s hips in a firm grip.

“You’ve never complained,” came Robin’s smart reply, punctuated by another movement of his hips.

Gisborne’s hands moved to the fastenings of Robin’s trousers, making quick work on the laces. 

“Take these off, or I swear I will rip them off,” he growled. Robin gave another rock of his hips before he rolled off, sliding the trousers over his hips. 

“You’re awfully bossy today,” Robin remarked. 

Gisborne used the opportunity to divest himself of his own clothing. Those leather pants could come off surprisingly easily, if one knew how. Since Robin also needed to remove his sword belt, his own undressing took a moment longer than Gisborne’s. Gisborne used the advantage and pounced, pinning the other man to the mattress. 

“I like to be the one in charge,” he said, leaning over Robin. With their reversed positions, Marian could now see Robin’s face. He was grinning that insolent grin that always annoyed her so much when he used it on her. Now, however, the expression had taken a strangely predatory edge. 

“You mean you like to _think_ you are the one in charge.” Robin bit his lip, gazing up at Gisborne in challenge. Gisborne swooped down, claiming his mouth in a harsh kiss, and sliding his body up so that he was lying on top of Robin, holding him in place with his weight. His legs were nestled between Robin’s thighs and when he moved a bit the contact between their bodies made them both groan aloud. 

Marian realized that her little hiding place had become rather hot. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that what was going on in that room was the height of sin and if anyone knew she had seen it, there wouldn’t be enough Hail Marys in the world to cleanse her soul of the temptation she had witnessed, but at the moment she couldn’t care less. The sight of the two naked men was the most riveting thing she had ever seen and no priest in the world would be able to pull her away from it.

They were moving together now, small sliding movements of flesh on flesh and their naked skin was beginning to gleam with hints of perspiration. Gisborne’s right hand slid down Robin’s chest and disappeared out of sight, heading somewhere down. He pulled back a moment later, looking down at Robin in apparent surprise.

“You came prepared.” 

Robin’s grin turned smug. 

“I stole a small pot of goose fat the last time I was here. I simply decided to put it to good use. I hope you approve.”

Gisborne growled, leaning down to kiss him again. Before he could do that, however, Robin executed a well practiced move and rolled them over, slamming Gisborne on his back with a grin. 

“Oh no, no, no,” he said with a small amused shake of his head. “None of that. It wouldn’t be fair if you were the one only one to have all the fun.” 

He gave Gisborne a light, teasing kiss before he straightened, taking Gisborne’s member in his hand and giving it a few well-practiced strokes. Marian had seen the kitchen maids do that before, but they had always seemed bashful and shy, as if they didn’t much like what they were doing, or if they were ashamed of it. Robin, on the other hand, seemed right in his element. There was not a trace of shame in sight – instead he was confident, almost cocky, handling Gisborne’s body with the same grace and precision that he handled his sword and bow.

Gisborne had stopped protesting and finally lay back, watching Robin with a hungry expression on his face. Finally Robin rose up on his knees and started moving back slowly, taking the engorged organ into his own body. Marian had to cover her mouth to hide her gasp when she saw that. Up until now she had had no idea that two men could do anything like that together. The blush on her face deepened, sending tendrils of heat all over her body.

It took a few moments before Robin was fully seated, the skin of his backside touching Gisborne’s abdomen. When he was finally satisfied with his position, he gave an experimental wiggle of his hips that made them both gasp. Gisborne’s hands rose again to grip Robin’s waist, urging him to move. 

And move he did. Slow movements at first, gaining confidence as he adjusted to his position. Instead of speeding up as Gisborne seemed to wish him to, Robin kept the movements of his hips slow and teasing, rocking forward with careful deliberation that made Gisborne glare at him in frustration even as he groaned with each movement. It was fascinating to watch that mixture of annoyance, desire and hunger on his face as he looked up at Robin, who was still moving at the same maddening pace, refusing to give in to Gisborne’s demands. 

It wasn’t long before Gisborne ran out of patience and used Robin’s temporary lapse in attention to sit up and pull the grinning outlaw into a kiss full of teeth and tongue, running his hands up to tease the man’s nipples before he slid them back down, drawing their hips closer together. Their movements finally sped up, the powerful muscles in Robin’s thighs working as he raised himself up and down in Gisborne’s lap. 

Gisborne was still kissing him, threading one hand into Robin’s hair to keep his head in place. The kissing was new, Marian thought as she watched them both close their eyes, focusing on the sensations. Gisborne rarely kissed the women he brought into his rooms, preferring instead to keep his affairs impersonal and perfunctory. Yet with Robin, he looked like he couldn’t get enough of the kisses and touching. Robin, too, seemed more than willing to open his mouth and let Gisborne explore to his leisure. 

The kiss they were sharing now was nothing like the few kisses Robin had given to Marian over the course of their acquaintance. Those had always been short and chaste, a quick press of lips before he had dashed off to have more dangerous adventures with his merry men. Those kisses had been miles away from the kiss he was now sharing with Gisborne, all full of heat and passion and hunger. 

They were both moving now, their skin covered with sweat from the exertion. Robin’s movements started to stutter, as if he was having trouble moving his legs anymore. Gisborne took that opportunity to roll them over, pinning Robin to the bed. Robin gave him a dazed look, too wrung out from his exercise to even protest the change anymore. Gisborne started moving again, making Robin throw his head back with a groan when he discovered a particularly good angle. 

Robin’s new vulnerable position proved too tempting for Gisborne and he leaned down, biting the tender skin between Robin’s neck and shoulder and eliciting another gasp from the man. Their movements were becoming frantic as they hurried towards completion. Marian could barely breathe, watching the animalistic dance on the bed with wide eyes. Robin made a feeble attempt to reach down, but Gisborne batted his hand away, pinning his wrist to the bed.

“No,” he growled, rising up to look into his eyes. “I want you to finish just from this, with me inside you.” He leaned further down to breathe into Robin’s ear. “You’re close now, aren’t you?”

Robin gave him a weak glare, wrapping his legs around Gisborne’s waist to bring him closer.

“Let’s see if I ever allow you to do this again,” he said, but the threat was half-hearted at best. “Damn it, Gisborne, move faster,” he groaned, grabbing the man’s backside with his free hand. Gisborne’s response was to stop moving entirely. Robin groaned in frustration. 

“Revenge is a sweet thing, is it not?” Gisborne sounded terribly smug. “Promise me you will come here again.”

“What if I don’t?” Robin looked up in defiance.

“Promise me,” Gisborne’s tone had grown urgent. “You let me wait for a month the last time. Promise me you will come back.” He punctuated his request with a thrust that made Robin reach up and clench at his shoulders. The resistance in Robin’s eyes remained for a little longer before he gave in.

“All right, I will visit you again. Will you move now?”

“Do you promise?” Gisborne was relentless.

“Yes, I promise,” Robin snapped. “Now move before I go and finish this by myself.”

Gisborne listened to his order this time, picking up his previous pace. It didn’t take them long before they reached completion. Robin was the first to come, his body stiffening as he slammed his head back into the pillow and surrendered to the sensations. Gisborne followed him a few heartbeats later, squeezing his eyes shut as he froze above Robin, shuddering. He slumped down on top of the other man, breathing harshly. 

Marian realized that her own breathing was rather loud as well and hastily reached up to cover her mouth before the men come to their senses and hear her. She finally understood why the priest in Nottingham’s church always spent so much time in his sermons on warnings against the temptation of the sin of fornication. She had never thought it to be anything special – the married women at the court always mentioned their “marital duties” with a grimace and the maids lying with Gisborne never looked like they enjoyed the activity much, either – but the action she had seen tonight definitely looked like it could sway people into sin. 

Maybe fornication was enjoyable only for men, Marian wondered as she watched the two share a lazy kiss. Maybe women were not meant to enjoy the activity. Yet she had heard of women who found lying with men enjoyable and her own reaction to the sight before he told her that she could probably enjoy it as well, with the proper encouragement. Then again, Gisborne never seemed to enjoy lying with the maids much, either. Maybe it wasn’t about men and women after all, she thought, but about the individual people and how they reacted together.

Robin and Gisborne were still lying on the bed, panting. Their breathing was gradually slowing down, but they both seemed rather out of it. As she watched, Robin’s arms rose and wrapped around Gisborne’s back, drawing the man closer. Gisborne buried his face into Robin’s shoulder with an expression of satisfied contentment.

They lay like that for a while, the room around them completely silent. Marian idly thought that the time must be late, since the castle was fairly quiet as well, the normally ever present sounds of servants’ footsteps now gone. She had just started to contemplate whether she should return to her room when Robin opened his eyes, looking at Gisborne’s slumped figure with an indecipherable expression on his face.

Gisborne lay on him like a dead fish, all lazy limbs and exhaustion and looked a step away from going to sleep. Robin took a deep breath before he nudged the man’s shoulder, rolling Gisborne off himself with some difficulty. Gisborne landed on the bed next to him, his eyes cracking open in displeasure at the disturbance.

“What are you doing?” he muttered sleepily.

“What does it look like?” Robin responded, sitting up slowly. Gisborne’s eyes opened, becoming a bit more alert.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yes,” Robin said, not looking at him. 

“Why don’t you stay here for the night? You could leave before dawn,” Gisborne said, the invitation clear in his voice. Robin shook his head. 

“Fall asleep and wake up in shackles?” Robin snorted. “I’d rather not risk that.” He reached down for his breeches, putting them on.

“You still don’t trust me.” Gisborne sat up as well, frowning at his back. 

“Of course I don’t.” Robin turned to give him an incredulous look. “Would you?” He stood up and pulled his shirt over his head, tucking it into his trousers. “It’s risky enough that I come here at all. I may be reckless but even I am not mad enough to actually sleep here.”

Gisborne didn’t seem pleased with the reply, scowling at Robin’s back. The archer was oblivious, bending over to retrieve his sword belt.

“Will you come here the next time, or will I have to hunt you down in the woods again?” Gisborne finally asked, drawing Robin’s attention back to himself.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t like that,” Robin said with a smirk. “The two of us, rolling around in the leaves while my men and your men frantically search the forest for the two of us.”

Gisborne’s expression turned from annoyance to exasperation.

“Only you would find that thrilling,” he said, shaking his head wryly. “I for one much prefer the comfort of my own bed over the muddy forest floor.” He gave Robin a speculative glance. “I have a nice bath in my house in Locksley, you know. You could stop by for a visit.” 

“I will consider it.” Robin gave him an amused look. 

“Don’t make me wait a month,” Gisborne warned him. Robin’s expression softened a little.

“I promised, didn’t I?” Before he could change his mind, he came back to the bed and leaned down to give Gisborne a sound goodbye kiss. The man on the bed took that opportunity to thoroughly plunder Robin’s mouth, sliding his left hand up to tangle in Robin’s hair.

“Until next time, then,” Gisborne said, his mouth transforming into a smirk when Robin pulled back from him with a slightly dazed expression.

Robin’s tongue flicked out to taste his lips, drawing a groan from Gisborne. Robin gave the man on the bed one last grin before he walked to the window to check if his escape route was clear.

“See you in a week or so,” Robin told him, disappearing into the night.

Once Robin was gone, Gisborne flopped back onto the bed, heedless of his own nudity. He gave the window a frustrated glance before he turned to stare at the ceiling, scowling.

“Damn you, Locksley. Why do you keep doing this to me?”

That was the moment when Marian decided that she had seen quite enough. Taking care not to make any noise, she rose up slowly from her kneeling position, her legs protesting the treatment after such a long time spent motionless. She took some time to let the feeling return to her legs, bracing herself against the wall until she felt sure enough to walk again. 

But even with her legs finally functional she still felt a little weak in the knees from what she had just witnessed. Robin and Gisborne were having an affair! And nobody except them knew about it! Judging by their conversation, this development had been around for several months now at the very least. How had she never noticed anything? They always seemed to hate each other. Now she had to wonder if the hate was not just a cover for something else. She would have to watch them both more carefully the next time they came across each other.

The next time...that thought reminded her of Robin’s parting remark. He had said “a week or so”. She was fully aware that Robin was a man who held his word, so it was more than probable that he would come here again. That thought alone sent a tendril of anticipation into her stomach. She hoped nobody would find it odd if she started taking an occasional evening stroll around the corridors. 

Marian closed the door to the broom closet carefully, starting her way back to her rooms with a smile on her face. Her evenings in Nottingham Castle were about to get a lot more interesting from now on.

_The End_


End file.
